On TV, a guy is trying to rob some people by either holding a gun in his pocket or pretending he has a gun in his pocket. I've heard of people doing this before.
Why would someone do this? I can see how it's an effective way to pretend that there's a gun in your pocket if you don't really have one, but if you really did have a gun, why would you keep it in your pocket? Wouldn't it be more effective to show them the gun? Obviously there's some precedent for people doing robberies this way, so there's something that makes people think a robber might actually have the gun in his pocket instead of taking it out. So why would this be beneficial to the robber to hide the gun while conducting the robbery?
3 comments:
so that passers-by don't know what's happening and advise the police?
I vaguely remember from a college sociology course that if a robber can make people think he has a weapon, that can be as effective as actually showing it.
And, if caught, it's more difficult for a prosecutor to prove armed robbery (which usually is considered a more-serious crime carrying a stiffer penalty), if the weapon is not displayed.
That's funny, because my first instinct in that situation would be to say "Come on, you don't really have a gun!" [Insert arms-folded, head-tilted, brow-furrowed look of skepticism]
Perhaps that's not the best plan ever, but that's why it's a first instinct, not a PhD thesis.
Post a Comment